Party time in De Beavoir Square - this Saturday, 2-5pm

Come along and join us for a Party in the Park at De Beauvoir Square tomorrow!

We will be populating a map of London with plasticine creations, and conducting a series of historical walks around the area.

Do pop by and say hello!

Thanks to De Beauvoir Square Association for inviting us along!

Come and see Hoxton Hall film screening, featuring our Senior BEEs!

The Building Exploratory invites you to join us at the Capital Age Festival’s film screening 'Through the Lens' next Monday 7 July from 3.30 – 6.15

Our film of the Senior BEEs A tale of Hoxton Hall is to be shown as part of the screening which features a series of films made by an for older people. Please see the attached a PDF document for the full event programme.

The event is free but you’ll need to book a place by calling the Capital Age Festival on 020 7820 6788

The event will be taking place at the Russet, a café near to Hackney Downs Park at Hackney Downs Studios, 17 Amhurst Terrace, E8 2BT

Here’s a link The Russet’s website – which has a link to a map on their contact us page


For further information about the Capital Age Festival follow this link to their website.

We hope you can join us there!

CZWG show Islington History & Architecture Group Islington Square

Islington History & Architecture Group – notes from 1st session of the summer term to find out about CZWG’s Islington Square

Lead by Astrid Rehwald – lead architect on the IslingtonSquare project

We met Astrid at the former Mitre pub on Upper Street – a building which will form part of the Islington Square development and is currently being used to house a model of the development

 

Astrid talked us through the project which will see former Post Office buildings transformed into a mixed use scheme including housing / commercial – space for retail and offices / leisure

Using plans, images and the model Astrid shared her knowledge and experience of working on the project, she explained:

• how they got planning permission
• the different elements of the project – part refurbishment / adaption of Edwardian buildings and demolition and new build
• how they work with their client / developer
• the plans for the existing buildings – how they are to be transformed
• each floor of the development – floor by floor – taking in the different aspects, from the retail arcade and new pedestrian link on the ground floor – to the luxury penthouses on the top 

 

The talk was followed up with a visit to the site – we were able to visit “Block A” the former Post Office north London sorting office.

Astrid took us up floor by floor – right to the top. Giving the group a chance to see the building in its current state and better understand how the building will be adapted. Having a chance to visit the building enabled the group to understand the complexities of working with historic buildings. 

The group took great interest in the window specifications – and were able to see and test the various window options CZWG have installed in order to find which one works best (and meets the approval of the Islington planning department). The views from the top of the building were amazing – all of London’s landmarks – it was easy to imagine the space as penthouse rooftop gardens in the future.

It was a great privilege to see a redundant historic building in transition – in its current derelict state before transformation.

Experiencing the building in a derelict state was evocative – giving a glimpse of the past - whilst also thinking about the future – the visit will be a reference point for the group – having a chance to experience it “before” we now look forward watching it develop in the years ahead and seeing and experiencing it again in its renewed design.

We benefited from Astrid’s knowledge and passion – someone who knows the building inside out – she communicated CZWG’s vision and intentions for the scheme with clarity and enthusiasm.

Haggerston Treasures walk this Saturday, places still available

The Haggerston Treasures walk takes place this Saturday at 11am from the Geffrye Museum!

Email us to join the walk (free of charge): mail@buildingexploratory.org.uk

Join Nicole Crockett on a guided tour of some of the listed buildings of the southern part of Haggerston. Meet at the Geffrye Museum reception at 11am.

The walk begins on the lawn just outside the main entrance at the Geffrye Museum and ends at Shoreditch Town Hall.

It is approximately 1.5-2 miles long and will take around an hour and a half.

Final session at NANA’s

It was the final session at NANA’s where we have been running a series of activity sessions with older people.

We met at the Convenience to review the last few weeks. The group discussed how the sessions have been really worthwhile - they’ve enjoyed learning about the local area, coming together as a group to share a common interest and finding out new things about the history and buildings of Clapton.

As the sessions have focused on how the buildings and built environment of Homerton and Clapton have changed over the years (and been based in a café that was formerly a public toilet) it was a fitting end to visit Chat’s Palace – originally a library, now a community arts centre.

Candy Horsbrugh, Centre Director, kindly showed us around, talking us through the history of the building and how it came to be a community arts venue. 

The group were fascinated to see the original features of the building. They inspected the commemorative foundation stone, admired the decorative coving, parquet flooring, the matching criss-cross motif on the windows and balustrades.

It was not hard to imagine the building in its former use; indeed some members of the group remembered visiting when it was a library.

Many of the group also remembered the building when it was as the base for the Hackney Marsh Festival in the 70s and 80s. [image source: Chat's Place]

The highlight was going up into the lovely bright and airy room on the first floor, top lit through an impressive roof light (which used to light the library below – now separated into two floors to create a dark theatre space on the ground floor).

 
The group were delighted to see that 100 years after it was built as a library, Chats Palace is still in use by the local community: for dance and performance events, workshops, a youth group, a community photography project, darkroom facilities and a café.  

We look forward to revisiting with the Senior BEEs in the autumn – with a view to exploring Chats Palace’s fascinating photographic archive as well as the building.

A big thank you to NANAs for hosting the activity sessions!

Delightful feedback from Sundial Centre Timber Lodge visit

Our thanks to Pauline from the Sundial Centre for sending us this lovely feedback following a visit to Timber Lodge with her members. Here is what she sent us... pictures coming soon!


Hope you are enjoying your Easter break. Just wanted to tell you about our trip to the timber lodge the trip went very well the members had the time of their life.

Charles stated that the park was breath taking he couldn’t wish for a better place to be he was one of the lucky ones to be there.

Margaret  said she was very pleased that she could come otherwise she wouldn’t have experienced such a lovely place like the Timber Lodge.

Lenny was very happy to have come he said that there should be more organisation like the Building Exploratory who assist members of community to visit such beautiful buildings - thank you Karen for what you’re doing for the older people keep up the good work.

Elizabeth - your stress levels are definitely low when you come to visit this fabulous places and also minimise negative thoughts.

Last but not least me (Pauline) what can I say I have enjoyed all our visit l am very lucky to be the one to take the members to these fantastic places and giving us the chance to explore this places I have explained the trips to others and everyone wants to come with us now to every visit.

Happy reading and best wishes Pauline

Investigating Clapton's past and present

Yesterday we ran a walking tour to investigate buildings of the past and present in Clapton. The walk was one of a series of activities for older people we are running at NANAs. We set off from The Convenience in Brooksby’s Walk, following a route along Chatsworth Road, Glenarm Road, Lower Clapton Road and finally Clapton Pond.

We gave each participant a series of old photographs showing various locations along the route. The photographs included scenes of a vibrant Chatsworth Road market in the 1930s, WWII bomb damage, the classical architecture of the London Orphan Asylum (of which only the Portico remains - on Linscott Road) and grand Georgian houses, which have long gone. 

Each snapshot gave insight into how the area has changed and evolved over the years – a glimpse of a time gone by - generating discussion, debate and reminiscence amongst the group.

As well as looking at past changes the walk also provided an opportunity to take in more recent ones including new shops, cafes and homes and the conservation and refurbishment of historic buildings. At Clapton Pond the group were pleased to see how Pond House has been brought back to life but saddened to see that the Bishop Wood’s Almshouses (which date back to the 17th Century) have been shut down and boarded up.

The walk unlocked the buildings of the past but also generated discussion and debate about the change we see around us today.